Contingency Plan
by McRaider
Summary: Mitch decided he wasn't going down without one hell of a fight. Rewrite of Contingency Plan to the ending and post season 2. Will encapsulate the years in between only the way we would've liked it to end. Angst, father/daughter, Jamie/Mitch moments abound.


**Less than Awesome  
Mcraider  
** **Spoilers: Post S2Ep10 Contingency.  
** **Summary** : He hated, absolutely hated Allison some days, and now more than ever, he's proven he's no better than his father. An alcoholic who acts like he's great but is truly terrible with women. And perhaps, if he can drink himself to death…that'll put everyone out of their misery.

 **Author's Note:** I abhor Allison, from like the second I saw the woman. Then to see what she did not only to Jamie but to Mitch, I just…couldn't let it go. I appreciate that the show will obviously continue on, but they have to sleep SOMETIME so this is the in between, plus a bandaid we've all been hoping for. Also, as a side note, most grown men don't whisper 'I'm going to vomit' meeting their father after years of not seeing them unless there's something they're fearful of. While being there with his and his father's ex may be cause, my psychologist's brain has been analyzing Mitch for the last two years and that guy's gotta have some skeletons we don't even know about. So there is some brief discussion as to what that trauma is. On a side note, I made Audra a nurse.

 **0000**

"I see the way you look at her, I know you think that she's special and that you're meant to be together, but as someone who knows you very well, you're not. You're going to destroy each other," those horrible cruel words echoed through his mind over and over again. The worst part…she was probably right: Mitch Morgan, Shit with women, should be stamped across his forehead.

'Who the hell did Allison think she was' he thought vehemently as he slugged back another gulp of scotch, working his way rapidly towards alcohol poisoning. Maybe he could help save the world by ridding it of one more know it all scientist. 'She left me' he growled slightly in the back of his throat, as tears swam in his eyes. He hurled the glass across the ball room, it shattered somewhere near the windows. His father had only served as a reminder of what a damaged human being Mitch was. He looked down at the scotch bottle, still half full, it was the second one he'd found, having already ridden the hotel of the first. He pressed the bottle opening to his lips and threw it back, washing down the bitterness and anguish of the day with the burning bite of the aged scotch.

"Mitch?" Jamie had been concerned when she'd seen him storm out moments after Allison, though from the look on his face it wasn't to go after her. Now, her hazel green eyes opened in surprise as he stumbled slightly, finishing the amber liquid, a little droplet falling down his cheek. His beautiful chocolate eyes were glazed over, he'd clearly been working his way to this drunk stupor for the hour she'd been searching for him. She'd seen him drink before, but never like this. He always seemed to have impeccable control.

As she stepped forward, hopefully to stop him from blowing his brains out with another bottle of scotch, she paused. She could practically feel the waves of depression and pain rolling off him like an ocean wave swelling as it neared the beach, and on some level she realized he wasn't drinking to be drunk. He was drinking to die.

"Heeeey, if it isn't Miss Jamieee Campbell," his words already very slurred as he stumbled slightly over the mess on the floor before hitting his head against the wall, "Ow," if she hadn't been so terrified for him, she'd have laughed at how adorable his muttered complaint was.

"I've gotten us a chopper to the safe zone, I spoke with Abe. They're headed to Pangea, so we'll wait it out there," she offered, unsure what else she should say to someone who was acting like a wounded animal.

"Great!" he cheered like Tony the tiger, "More uncomfortable silence and stares," he raised another bottle, as if toasting it, before downing half of that one. He could feel the hot liquid threatening to come up, he'd drank more than his body was willing to accept. He couldn't find it in himself to care, he swallowed more down in desperation, to black out of the shitty world they lived in. The world his precious little girl was going to die from. His Jamie. Where everyone saw him as nothing more than damaged goods.

"Mitch, don't you think that's enough?" she came a little closer, more than slightly concerned for his state of mind.

"Nooo, I haven't had 'nough. Sides, no one here to top it'," he giggled, "Mommy left…again an stupid….beach…no" he paused, teetering dangerously, "Bitch," he corrected himself, "said I'd destroy you," he grabbed another bottle, "can't do that if I'm not here."

That was all Jamie needed to hear, she stepped forward and grabbed the bottle from him, "She said what?" Jamie demanded, confusion written all over her beautiful features.

"Damaged Mitch Morgan! I still prefer animals to people…people don't hurt you. Don't leave you for good ol' pedo dad! They…" he gulped as the scotch threatened a reappearance, "they don't try an' fuck you when you're down," he felt his eyes burn again and he wanted nothing more than to pull his tongue out and stop the verbal vomit occurring.

A single word from his tirade stuck in Jamie's mind, but she had to get them to the helicopter, "Mitch let's go," she whispered, far less afraid of him doing anything physical to hurt her or himself. She was more afraid of what had been left unsaid. They got to the roof fairly easily as they were on the top floor, though Mitch wasn't much help, stumbling over his feet more than a few times.

The co-pilot, was surprisingly an old friend from Jamie's college, and had been happy to call in a favor, helped them on board, "Is he drunk?" he asked, smelling the scotch all over Mitch who was far more pliable now that he was utterly wasted and rapidly on his way to sleeping or perhaps it was unconsciousness, she wasn't sure. She'd spoken to Audra, Mitch's ex-wife briefly, and she'd gotten them into the safety zone, under the guise of being siblings. It was still too dangerous to reveal who they really were.

"He doesn't like to fly," Jamie lied, as she looked over at him, her worry mounting as his head lulled forward.

"Okay then, it shouldn't take more than two hours to get there, let us know if you need anything."

Jamie nodded her thanks as she looked over at the man she really did love. She hadn't even thought about Mitch not wanting to have sex with Allison. Could she have forced herself on him? Sure he hadn't seemed unwilling, but there were some reactions that were uncontrollable, if he hadn't been hurting from his father being around, would he have denied her? She was surprised when he started speaking again, still barely coherent.

"I didn' wanna leave you behind," his slurring was getting worse, and it sounded like he was struggling more and more to keep down the bar he'd swallowed. "Got manhandled into the stupid whirly bird," he mumbled.

She smirked at the childish term for helicopter, she'd save that one for later. She listened as he continued, "Now you hate me, and it's not my fault." He sounded so pathetic and childish, but she felt for him. She'd spent all this time being angry about her time in the cold, but what had they gone through without her. She suddenly hated herself, she'd been nothing but snappy and mean to Mitch since her return. He'd done nothing but try and support and help her. "But Allie's right, I destroy everythin' I touch, just look at our world," he whispered, before his eyes slid closed again and he lost the battle with consciousness.

She closed her eyes and willed her fear that she'd destroyed the only good thing to come out of this hellish apocalypse. To her surprise she was jerked awake by her old friend, "You guys slept through the whole ride, having some trouble getting your friend up though, are you sure he's okay?"

"Yeah, he's just had a bit too much to drink," she offered, knowing two hours should've made that better, not worse. She spotted Audra nearby, with a man and a young girl that Jamie realized was Clem. "Could you go ask the woman to come over here?"

"Sure."

As she undid Mitch's seatbelt she realized he was completely unconscious, and dead weight, "Jesus, Mitch," she whispered.

"What's wrong?" Audra asked coming over, "the co-pilot said you needed just me?"

Jamie nodded, "Let's just say Mitch got into the liquor cabinet…and drank it. He's unconscious…I didn't think he'd want Clem to see him like this."

Audra muttered a curse under her breathe, she began to tap his cheek, thankful when those brown eyes finally fluttered open, "Aud? Is the baby crying?" he slurred, he started to move forward and nearly toppled the two women over.

"Mitch, you have to move your legs," she waved Justin over real quick, "Go get the car, I'm going to walk Clem back, get Mitch settled into the guest room. He's completely wasted."

"Fantastic," muttered Justin.

Jamie kept her mouth closed regarding their opinions of the situation, she and Mitch were their guests for at least a few days, so she'd explain it later. It took almost another hour to get Mitch settled into the extra bedroom of the small home on the large compound. "We had Clem and she had a medical diagnosis, so thankfully anyone with medical disabilities or severe illness got the houses. Most others are in tents," Justin offered as she handed her an extra pillow and blanket.

"That's good, thank you for letting us in here, I can't explain how deeply we do appreciate it," Jamie offered.

Justin nodded, "I never really expected him to be sleeping under my roof, but then again I also never expected the animal apocalypse. I don't think he's a bad man, unlike Audra, I don't really know Mitchell. But what I do know, Clem loves him and thinks he hung the stars despite barely knowing him. Please don't let her see him messed up like this."

"Would it be any consolation if I told you the reason he's in this state is because of a raging gorilla?"

Justin shook his head, "Actually yes. Audra is a nurse, so if you need anything, let us know."

Jamie nodded her thanks and watched as he closed the door behind them, this all felt so…normal despite the situation. She looked down at Mitch and removed the suit jacket, smiling at the memory of him disputing wearing a tie at all. She then removed his shoes and socks, leaving him in his jeans and undershirt. She put a trashcan at the edge of the bed for him, assuming at some point the alcohol would come back to bite him. Lying down beside him she ran her fingers through his hair. She considered how far they'd come as a pair in the past year and a half. He'd proven over and over again to be strong and kind. The assumptions others made of him were wrong, and perhaps that's where everyone was wrong. She and Mitch wouldn't destroy one another, because they understood being broken, they thrived because of it. They could help each other heal.

 _He glanced around the hotel entrance of the embassy, wondering why he was here again. He felt something in his hand and looked down to see it was a smaller hand…attached to his daughter. Confusion written across his brow he met her blue eyes, "Why…how'd you get here?" he asked her._

 _Before she could reply, however, a huge growl echoed through the hall, a gorilla came barreling through the entry way. He scanned the crowd and noticed Jamie standing nearby, trying to help an elderly woman. "Daddy!" Clem cried in terror._

 _As he picked her up into his arms, he saw the beast stop, towering over Jamie who just stared in awe and terror. "Nononono!" he put Clem down and turned to hurry back to Jamie._

 _"You'll destroy them both," Allison stated out of nowhere, as if unaffected by everything around them._

 _"You're wrong! What-" he turned back towards Jamie._

 _"DADDY HELP!" Clem screamed out in terror as another came towards her._

 _"Clem! Jamie!" he was torn as he heard a horrible scream and watched Jamie fall to the ground, her beautiful eyes suddenly lifeless. "NO!"_

"NO!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, shattering the silence of the night, he shot up out of bed quickly, stumbling out of the room, thankfully the bathroom was right across the hall, before regurgitating all the alcohol he'd consumed only a few hours earlier. His entire body shook as he heaved, desperately trying to pull air into his lungs. _You're weak, all she wanted was a little fun. What kind of child calls that rape!"_ Mitch heard his father's laughter mocking him. A sob slipped from his lips, and then another as he tried to curl up in a fetal position.

Jamie followed quickly, her heart aching at the sight of Mitch hunched over the toilet, before he began sobbing like a small child on the floor. She grabbed the towel from the towel bar, wetting it, and knelt down beside him. She was completely unaware of Audra watching, of Clem shaking behind her watching her daddy.

"Mitch, shhh it was a dream," she whispered, her hands shook as she uncurled him and pulled him into his arms. Cradling him, kissing the top of his head as she sobbed into her neck. "It was just a dream, I'm okay, everyone's okay," she soothed the best she could.

She glanced back up at Audra, but before she could ask for help or say anything further she felt his body grow stiff and begin twitching. "Jesus, Mitch!" Audra shouted, she hurried to her ex's side and helped Jamie roll him onto his side.

"What's wrong with him?!" Jamie demanded, panicking, suddenly glad someone was there with her.

Audra held Mitch's head just enough so he would bash it into the toilet, she glanced up at Justin and Clem, the girl in her step dad's arms crying into his shoulder, no doubt sure her daddy was dying. "Alcohol withdrawal," Audra offered quietly, "If he drank as much as you say, then he probably had alcohol poisoning, when the alcohol starts leaving the system it sometimes causes…symptoms." Glancing back over at her shoulder she offered a hesitant smile to her daughter, "Clem, honey go get your dad a glass of water. That always makes you feel better, right," she offered.

Justin put Clem down, "What can I do?" he asked.

"Once the seizure is over, we'll need to get him changed and back into the bed," finally the shaking and twitching stopped, and Mitch's body went lax. For a moment it looked as though he wasn't breathing, fearful, Audra pressed her fingers to his neck, thankful to feel the pulse present. Thready, but present, "I'm going to go get my stethoscope, will you help Jamie?"

Seconds later, Mitch was back on the bed and Jamie was working on fitting him into a pair of sweats of Justin's and a new t-shirt, his previous one drenched in sweat from the seizure. She began caressing his forehead again with the washcloth, "You love him, don't you?" Justin asked.

Jamie looked at the man and nodded, "I do."

Before Justin could say anything else, Audra and Clem stepped back into the room, "Is he okay?" Clem asked quietly.

As if in response, Mitch's eyes fluttered and he groaned, "Wha-?" he looked around to see his ex, the woman he loved, his daughter and the man who had replaced him. "Oh god I've died," he grumbled.

"Hardly," Audra huffed, before listening to his lungs, "You sound fine. I think you'll survive," she offered.

"You scared the hell out of us, you had a seizure," Jamie said, before Mitch could say something to frighten his daughter.

Mitch looked at Jamie, and felt the familiar sting of tears again, "Sorry…it was one hell of a dream," his voice husky from the agonizing memory.

"What happened?" Jamie asked.

"The Gorilla…it was after you and Clem. Allison was there…being unhelpful as usual."

Audra's mouth dropped open, "This is about Allison!?" she asked shocked. "Jesus, no wonder you got so wasted," all anger melted from her bones as she reached out to caress his cheek. "Mitch, are you okay?"

Mitch looked at her, it was clear his defenses were down. He looked at her, thankful that Justin had taken Clem back to bed. "I…" he closed his eyes and took a slow deep breath. He wanted so bad to tell them everything he was thinking. To tell her he didn't want to live like this screwed up mess he was, but he didn't think they'd be ready to hear it.

"I'll leave you two alone, call me if you need anything," she told Jamie, before glancing once more at Jaime, and then taking her leave.

For a moment the two sat in silence, neither sure what to say, both afraid if they started speaking the other would clam up tighter than Fort Knox. Finally, after several painful moments, it was Jamie that spoke, she stood and moved around to lay beside him, pulling the covers up, "I should apologize."

"Why?" He was still a bit confused as to where he was and how he'd gotten here, but he couldn't recall any reason why Jamie should be sorry.

"You've been nothing but patient, kind and supportive since I've gotten back. Meanwhile, all I've done is snap at you and blame you for something that was never your fault," sighing she took his larger hand in her small one, looking at the lines. "When I came back, I felt so different and it felt like everyone had moved on without me, while I was just trying to survive out there."

He closed his hand around hers, lacking their fingers together. He'd been so afraid he'd never see her again, hear her beautiful voice, see that incredible smile, "I staged a sit in for you," he whispered.

"What?"

"Probably not my finest moment, sitting down like a toddler in the middle of a wilderness surrounded by rampaging animals. When we found…when I found out you may be dead, I wanted so badly to be dead with you. I spent every day drinking," a tear slid down his cheek, "I was a failure," his last words whispered.

She reached out, wiping the tear from his cheek with her thumb, "You're not a failure-"

He let out a harsh laugh, "My history with women would say otherwise."

Suddenly the word he'd slurred earlier in the midst of his tirade came back to her mind, "Mitch…what else did Max do to you?"

Shock, followed by defeat registered on his handsome features. He could play it off like his old man was a pedo for robbing the cradle, but truthfully that wasn't it. That wasn't what haunted his dreams, it wasn't what made him both terrified and desperate to love a woman. "I was…eight or nine when one of his…many girlfriends wanted to do something different," his lips trembled as he tried desperately to stop from crying, to stop from breaking over something that had happened almost thirty-three years ago. "Me." More tears followed the first couple, "Apparently it wasn't rape though, because boys my age should be excited for an older woman to be interested."

Nothing she ever said could make that better, instead she just hugged him, pressing a kiss to his cheek where one of the tears was falling, "I'm here," she whispered.

"Then Ally came along, and I liked her, but she was my first real girlfriend, I was still fairly young and he stole her. Right out from under me. By the time I met Audra a short year later I was such a mess…she never stood a chance."

"Did Allison really tell you that you'd destroy me?"

"She said we'd destroy each other."

Jamie shook her head, taking his face between his hands, she caressed his cheeks with her thumbs, "Love never destroys. Not real love, it builds and strengthens Mitch. She's never been in love if she thinks that." She looked at his eyes once more, then his lips, "But I have."

Leaning together, their lips met, it wasn't passion filled, no sparks or stars. Instead, it felt renewing, like positive energy and hope being shared between two broken souls to help renew and refill. When they finally parted, foreheads still together, he stroked her cheek, "I love you, please don't ever leave," he whispered.

"Never again, I love you too."

End


End file.
